1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for maintaining and controlling an electronic apparatus such as image forming apparatuses which include copying machines and printers, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for maintaining and controlling an electronic apparatus provided with a communication function and thereby capable of transmitting and receiving data via a data communication circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is available a maintenance control system for image forming apparatuses, the system being constituted in such a manner that a host computer is installed in a control center where a service man is waiting and the host computer is connected to the image forming apparatuses of users via a data communication circuit such as a public telephone circuit or the like in a quest to heighten the efficiency of maintenance control of the image forming apparatuses. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 3-196053 (1991) discloses a structure of an image forming apparatus such that the image forming apparatus connected to an external device is provided with control means for performing a processing corresponding to a maintenance operation in accordance with a remotely controlled signal which is inputted from the external device.
The external device calls each image forming apparatus connected thereto to cause the image forming apparatus to perform an operation for the maintenance control. Since information in the image forming apparatus is sent to the external devices an operator can grasp on the external device a judgment as to whether the maintenance operation is needed, as well as information on parts and tools required for the maintenance operation. Therefore, the operator can go to a place where the image forming apparatus is installed after preparing for parts and tools required for the operation so that he can perform the maintenance operation without fail.
In addition, there is proposed a transferable-type operation terminal device which is constituted so that data which is accumulated in an image forming apparatus is read so that the read data is used for the maintenance operation of the image forming apparatus. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications JP-A 3-226770 and JP-A 3-226771 disclose a portable terminal device for the maintenance control, the device being constituted so as to display a guidance of the most appropriate operation procedure on the basis of state data which is read and is indicative of an operation state of the image forming apparatus and auxiliary data on the operation state, the auxiliary data being obtained directly from the image forming apparatus by the service man. In the maintenance control of the image forming apparatus using the portable terminal device, a service man causes the portable terminal device to read guide data from a host computer at the control center before going to the image forming apparatus on the hand of users. Next, after arriving at the side of the users, the service man connects the portable terminal device to the image forming apparatus, and causes the portable terminal device to read the state data from the image forming apparatus. At the same time, the service man enters information detected by the service man himself to the portable terminal device as auxiliary data. The portable terminal device displays the guidance of the maintenance operation in accordance with the state of the image forming apparatus by referring to the state data, the auxiliary data and the guide data. The service man can perform the maintenance operation in accordance with the guidance displayed on the portable terminal device. In addition, the service man can easily grasp detailed information on an operation state of the image forming apparatus which will be required at the time of performing the maintenance control of the image forming apparatus.
In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2-126357 (1990) discloses a structure of a system which is connected to a host to maintain a terminal, the system comprising:
a data writing part for adding a code to various data on service maintenance which data is accumulated in a memory device of the host, the code being indicative of whether or not transmission is allowed to the terminal connected to the host; PA1 an identifying part for identifying an ID code for specifying the terminal; PA1 a judging part for judging whether or not the same terminal having the ID code written therein accesses for writing a code. With such a structure, only the terminal having the data written therein is allowed to perform the transmission with respect to individual item of data. Consequently, since only the maintenance data corresponding to each terminal is allowed to be transmitted with respect to individual maintenance data in a database in the host, an access to the maintenance data on other terminals is inhibited so that the secrecy can be heightened. PA1 central control means for holding maintenance control information on the electronic apparatus which is to be identified in accordance with predetermined information which means can be connected to the electronic apparatus via a data communication circuit; and PA1 portable terminal means having: PA1 connecting means which can be connected to the electronic apparatus which is to be maintained and controlled, PA1 detecting means for detecting identification information of the electronic apparatus and information on an operation state of the electronic apparatus, in a connected state, PA1 transmitting means for transmitting the detected information to the central control means via the communication function of the electronic apparatus, PA1 receiving means for receiving the maintenance control information with respect to the electronic apparatus via the communication function from the central control means, and PA1 display means for displaying the received information. PA1 providing central control means for holding maintenance control information on the electronic apparatus which is identified in accordance with predetermined information which means can be connected to the electronic apparatus via a data communication circuit; PA1 connecting portable terminal means to the electronic apparatus to be maintained and controlled to detect identification information and information in relation to an operation state of the apparatus; PA1 transmitting the detected information to the central control means via the communication function of the electronic apparatus; and PA1 receiving the maintenance control information on the electronic apparatus which is transmitted from the central control means by receiving means via the communication function to display in images.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application 6-307726 discloses a structure of a device which is constituted to provide an instruction for operating a copying machine through an operation key on a portable terminal, wherein the copying machine incorporates a program for the portable terminal, the aforementioned program is transmitted to the portable terminal by using an infrared ray or the like, and the portable terminal provides an instruction for an operation by using this program. Internal information such as a state of the attachment of options and a state of an error generation is transmitted to the portable terminal. Since the program for an operation instruction is incorporated in the copying machine side, it is not necessary to renew the program depending on the type of the copying machine.
However, in a structure disclosed in JP-A 3-196053, there is a problem in that data is limited which can be output from an image-forming apparatus to an external device, an intricate state of the image forming apparatus at the time of maintenance operation cannot be sufficiently grasped, and the maintenance operation cannot be performed accurately in accordance with the state of the image forming apparatus.
Furthermore, in structures disclosed in JP-A 3-226770 and JP-A 3-226771, all the guide data on the maintenance operation of an image forming apparatus is required to be memorized in a portable terminal device for selecting and displaying a guidance in accordance with auxiliary data input by a service man. At the same time, the maintenance operation is required to be selected and performed depending on the state of the image forming apparatus by referring to the state data, the auxiliary data and the guide data. The portable terminal device is required to be provided with large capacity memory means and processing means for analyzing data thereby inviting a rise in the production cost and an enlargement in the size of the apparatus itself. In particular, to allow the portable terminal device to be compatible with all the types of image forming apparatus, a larger amount of memory capacity is required in the portable terminal device.
Furthermore, in a structure disclosed in JP-A 2-126357, when an access is allowed, maintenance data is transmitted from a memory device of a host to a terminal. Since the data is transmitted only at the terminal, it is necessary to provide a connection function with a circuit on the terminal.
Furthermore, in a structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application 6-307726, internal information of a copying machine is given to a portable terminal when the copying machine is operated by using the portable terminal. Since an instruction for operating the copying machine is provided on the basis of a transmitted program and the internal information at the portable terminals a large amount of calculations must be performed with processing means for analyzing data at the portable terminal.